Phys.org news tagged with:echolocationhttp://phys.org/
en-usPhys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.New echolocation app on Google PlayA new app developed by Clarkson University faculty and students allows users to use echolocation to better understand their surroundings.http://phys.org/news/2016-09-echolocation-app-google.html
Software Thu, 29 Sep 2016 16:51:08 ESTnews394386664Echo hunter: Researchers name new fossil whale with high frequency hearingA newly-named fossil whale species had superior high-frequency hearing ability, helped in part by the unique shape of inner ear features that have given scientists new clues about the evolution of this specialized sense.http://phys.org/news/2016-08-echo-hunter-fossil-whale-high.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Aug 2016 12:00:07 ESTnews389523432Yes, size mattersWhy do whales use echolocation when bacteria do not? Because body size determines available sensing modes, argue researchers from Center for Ocean Lifehttp://phys.org/news/2015-09-size.html
Plants & Animals Tue, 22 Sep 2015 07:43:47 ESTnews362126613First imagery from echolocation reveals new signals for hunting batsThe ability of some bats to spot motionless prey in the dark has baffled experts until now. By creating the first visual images from echolocation, researchers reveal we have been missing how bats sense their world.http://phys.org/news/2015-09-imagery-echolocation-reveals.html
Plants & Animals Tue, 01 Sep 2015 13:36:00 ESTnews360333352'Non-echolocating' fruit bats actually do echolocate, with wing clicksIn a discovery that overturns conventional wisdom about bats, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on December 4 have found that Old World fruit bats—long classified as "non-echolocating"—actually do use a rudimentary form of echolocation. Perhaps most surprisingly, the clicks they emit to produce the echoes that guide them through the darkness aren't vocalizations at all. They are instead produced by the bats' wings, although scientists don't yet know exactly how the bats do it.http://phys.org/news/2014-12-non-echolocating-fruit-echolocate-wing-clicks.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:00:08 ESTnews336909635Virtual reality study shows echolocation in humans not just about the ears(Phys.org)—A pair of researchers with Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany has found that echolocation in humans involves more than just the ears. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, Ludwig Wallmeier and Lutz Wiegrebe describe how echolocation is thought to work in humans as compared to other animals, and the results of a study they conducted using volunteers and a virtual reality system.http://phys.org/news/2014-11-virtual-reality-echolocation-humans-ears.html
Other Wed, 12 Nov 2014 08:10:02 ESTnews334998138Hungry bats compete for prey by jamming sonarIn their nightly forays, bats hunting for insects compete with as many as one million hungry roost-mates. A study published today in Science shows that Mexican free-tailed bats jam the sonar of competitors to gain advantage in aerial foraging contests.http://phys.org/news/2014-11-hungry-prey-sonar.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 06 Nov 2014 14:00:14 ESTnews334502761Bats bolster brain hypothesis, maybe technology, tooAmid a neuroscience debate about how people and animals focus on distinct objects within cluttered scenes, some of the newest and best evidence comes from the way bats "see" with their ears, according to a new paper in the Journal of Experimental Biology. In fact, the perception process in question could improve sonar and radar technology.http://phys.org/news/2014-08-bolster-brain-hypothesis-technology.html
Plants & Animals Fri, 15 Aug 2014 10:02:25 ESTnews327315726For bats and dolphins, hearing gene prestin adapted for echolocationA little over a decade ago, prestin was found to be a key gene responsible for hearing in mammals. Prestin makes a protein found in the hair cells of the inner ear that contracts and expands rapidly to transmit signals that help the cochlea, like an antique phonograph horn, amplify sound waves to make hearing more sensitivity.http://phys.org/news/2014-08-dolphins-gene-prestin-echolocation.html
Plants & Animals Fri, 01 Aug 2014 02:28:32 ESTnews326078797Foraging bats can warn each other away from their dinnersLook into the spring sky at dusk and you may see flitting groups of bats, gobbling up insect meals in an intricately choreographed aerial dance. It's well known that echolocation calls keep the bats from hitting trees and each other. But now scientists have learned some bats emit another call: one that tells their comrades to "back off" from bugs they've claimed for themselves.http://phys.org/news/2014-03-foraging-dinners.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:46:06 ESTnews315143157New fossil species supports early origin of echolocation in toothed whalesResearch led by an anatomy professor at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine indicates that echolocation – the sonar-like system based on high-frequency vocalizations and their echoes – was present in a 28-million-year old relative of modern-day toothed whales, dolphins, and porpoises.http://phys.org/news/2014-03-fossil-species-early-echolocation-toothed.html
Archaeology & Fossils Wed, 12 Mar 2014 17:29:54 ESTnews313864177How bats took over the nightBlessed with the power of echolocation—reflected sound—bats rule the night skies. There are more than 1,000 species of these echolocating night creatures, compared with just 80 species of non-echolocating nocturnal birds. And while it seems that echolocation works together with normal vision to give bats an evolutionary edge, nobody knows exactly how.http://phys.org/news/2013-12-night.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 12 Dec 2013 12:10:01 ESTnews306071289Stealth maneuver allows nectar bats to target insect preyA nectar-feeding bat that was thought to eat insects in passing has been discovered to target its moving prey with stealth precision, according to new research by scientists at Queen Mary University of London.http://phys.org/news/2013-12-stealth-maneuver-nectar-insect-prey.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 12 Dec 2013 10:54:20 ESTnews306068037Study shows global warming likely to alter bat echolocation abilities(Phys.org) —A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Germany has conducted sonic studies that suggest that the echolocation abilities of bats around the world are likely to be impacted by global warming. In their study published in The Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the group explains how they found that warming temperatures are likely to impact attenuation of bat chirps in various ways.http://phys.org/news/2013-12-global-echolocation-abilities.html
Plants & Animals Wed, 11 Dec 2013 12:49:30 ESTnews305988543Scientists uncover genetic similarities between bats and dolphinsThe evolution of similar traits in different species, a process known as convergent evolution, is widespread not only at the physical level, but also at the genetic level, according to new research led by scientists at Queen Mary University of London and published in Nature this week.http://phys.org/news/2013-09-scientists-uncover-genetic-similarities-dolphins.html
Evolution Wed, 04 Sep 2013 13:00:06 ESTnews297512377Robotic food helps scientists understand predatorsDr Christos Ioannou at the University of Bristol has been awarded a five year research fellowship by NERC for the study of predator-prey relationships, using robotic prey to lure predatory fish.http://phys.org/news/2013-08-robotic-food-scientists-predators.html
Plants & Animals Fri, 30 Aug 2013 06:59:51 ESTnews297064778Researchers uncover that moths talk about sex in many waysMoths are nocturnal, and they have one major enemy; the bat. As a defense many moths developed ears sensitive to the bat´s echolocation cries, and they have also developed different behaviors to avoid bats. Now it turns out that many moths are able to use both their hearing and their avoidance behavior to an entirely different purpose: to communicate about sex. According to a Danish/Japanese research team the various moth species probably talk about sex in a great number of different ways. This sheds new light on the evolution of sound communication and behavior.http://phys.org/news/2013-07-uncover-moths-sex-ways.html
Plants & Animals Mon, 08 Jul 2013 11:00:35 ESTnews292500022Bat maps: The conservation crusadeConservation efforts have taken an important step forward, thanks to observations of bats – creatures that make up a quarter of all of the UK's native mammal species.http://phys.org/news/2013-07-crusade.html
Ecology Tue, 02 Jul 2013 19:00:06 ESTnews292005249Small bats squeak at higher pitch to focus better, study reportsSmall bats have to emit higher-pitched squeaks than their bigger cousins for their sonar navigation systems to work equally well, scientists said Wednesday.http://phys.org/news/2012-11-small-higher-pitch-focus.html
Plants & Animals Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:30:01 ESTnews272726774Dolphins can remain alert for up to 15 days at a time with no sign of fatigueDolphins sleep with only one half of their brains at a time, and according to new research published Oct. 17 in the open access journal PLOS ONE, this trait allows them to stay constantly alert for at least 15 days in a row. Brian Branstetter from the National Marine Mammal Foundation and colleagues found that dolphins can use echolocation with near-perfect accuracy continuously for up to 15 days, identifying targets and monitoring their environment.http://phys.org/news/2012-10-dolphins-days-fatigue.html
Plants & Animals Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:00:26 ESTnews269710352Holy bat detector! Ecologists develop first Europe-wide bat ID toolJust as differences in song can be used to distinguish one bird species from another, the pips and squeaks bats use to find prey can be used to identify different species of bat. Now, for the first time, ecologists have developed a Europe-wide tool capable of identifying bats from their echolocation calls.http://phys.org/news/2012-08-holy-detector-ecologists-europe-wide-id.html
Ecology Mon, 06 Aug 2012 19:00:02 ESTnews263489458Caught in the act: Bats use the sound of copulating flies as a cue for foragingMating at night does not necessarily lead to offspring, at least in flies: males produce a buzzing sound with their wings that can be perceived by bats. Stefan Greif from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, and colleagues, observed this in a long-term study on wild Natterer's bats that eat the copulating flies in a double-sized meal. Flies that were just sitting or walking on the ceiling did not elicit a predatory response by the bats. This is the first experimental evidence how mating itself can be risky.http://phys.org/news/2012-07-caught-copulating-flies-cue-foraging.html
Plants & Animals Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:00:06 ESTnews262261086Bats: What sounds good doesn't always taste goodBats use a combination of cues in their hunting sequence - capture, handling and consumption - to decide which prey to attack, catch and consume and which ones they are better off leaving alone or dropping mid-way through the hunt. Eavesdropping bats first listen to their prey, then they assess its size, and finally they taste it. The work by Dr. Rachel Page and her team from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama is published online in Springer's journal Naturwissenschaften - The Science of Nature.http://phys.org/news/2012-05-good-doesnt.html
Plants & Animals Mon, 21 May 2012 11:19:59 ESTnews256817356False killer whales use acoustic squint to target preyHunting in the ocean's murky depths, vision is of little use, so toothed whales and dolphins (odontocetes) rely on echolocation to locate tasty morsels with incredible precision. Laura Kloepper from the University of Hawaii explains that odontocetes produce their distinctive echolocation clicks in nasal structures in the forehead and broadcast them through a fat-filled acoustic lens, called the melon. http://phys.org/news/2012-03-false-killer-whales-acoustic-squint.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:13:13 ESTnews251611984New species of bat found in VietnamA distinctive echolocation frequency led to the discovery of a new species of bat within the genus Hipposideros. Although this bat is similar to the species Hipposideros armiger, differences in acoustics, size, and DNA between these bats led to the identification of the new species. This new member of the bat community, which has been found in two locations in Vietnam, has been given the scientific name Hipposideros griffini.http://phys.org/news/2012-02-species-vietnam.html
Plants & Animals Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:18:53 ESTnews249031120Go fish! Scientist trains goldfish for object perception research (w/ video)The fictitious storybook character Dr. Doolittle was known for talking with animals.http://phys.org/news/2011-10-fish-scientist-goldfish-perception-video.html
Plants & Animals Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:20:24 ESTnews238771208How the bat got its buzz: Superfast muscles in mammalsAs nocturnal animals, bats rely echolocation to navigate and hunt prey. By bouncing sound waves off objects, including the bugs that are their main diet, bats can produce an accurate representation of their environment in total darkness. Now, researchers at the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Pennsylvania have shown that this amazing ability is enabled by a physical trait never before seen in mammals: so-called "superfast" muscles.http://phys.org/news/2011-09-superfast-muscles-mammals.html
Plants & Animals Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:00:03 ESTnews236521135'Lost' bats found breeding on ScillyA University of Exeter biologist has discovered a 'lost' species of bat breeding on the Isles of Scilly (UK). A pregnant female brown long-eared bat is the first of its species to be found on the islands for at least 40 years. It was discovered by Dr Fiona Mathews, Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter, a postgraduate student and a team from the Wiltshire Bat Group.http://phys.org/news/2011-06-lost-scilly.html
Plants & Animals Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:54:59 ESTnews227530487Dolphins use double sonarDolphins and porpoises use echolocation for hunting and orientation. By sending out high-frequency sound, known as ultrasound, dolphins can use the echoes to determine what type of object the sound beam has hit.http://phys.org/news/2011-06-dolphins-sonar.html
Plants & Animals Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:52:56 ESTnews226666363Ears tuned to water(PhysOrg.com) -- For bats any smooth, horizontal surface is water. Even so if vision, olfaction or touch tells them it is actually a metal, plastic or wooden plate. Bats therefore rely more on their ears than on any other sensory system. This is due to how smooth surfaces reflect the echolocation calls of bats: they act just like mirrors. In nature there are no other extended, smooth surfaces, so these mirror properties prove to be a reliable feature for recognition of water surfaces.http://phys.org/news/2010-11-ears-tuned.html
Plants & Animals Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:29:10 ESTnews207926915